


If I Ever Forget (The Nights We Passed, Remind Me Who I Am)

by ravenditefairylights



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Aegnor is a bantender, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Andreth is an icon, F/M, and so is Argon, she's also drunk but we can't all be perfect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 05:23:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15942647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ravenditefairylights/pseuds/ravenditefairylights
Summary: The girl was different; Aegnor could tell she would be a memorable one from the moment she walked through the door. She wore a short pink dress with a torn tutu in the same colour --like those teenagers would wear at their prom nights that never stayed intact until the next morning--, mascara rivers running down her cheeks, the braid that tied her hair behind her head ruined, and no shoes. Not the high-heels-in-her-hands-swaying-in-the-wind kind of no shoes, but rather the I-just-walked-a-couple-of-blocks-without-my-shoes-on kind.Andreth is drunk, Aegnor is a gentleman and we lay our scene in a bar at 2 am. Featuring, supportive brother Finrod, with a guest appearence from Argon the motorcycle seeker





	If I Ever Forget (The Nights We Passed, Remind Me Who I Am)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [legitopal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/legitopal/gifts).



> This is a birthday gift for [legitopal](http://legitopal.tumblr.com/html/), happy birthday, fam!!!!!!
> 
> Thanks to nerdvnel for beta reading

Aegnor had seen many weird things in his (relatively short) career as a night bartender, but this surpassed everything. He had long ago lost count of all the drunk people who walked up to him on the bar and either hit on him, asked for a drink, told him their life story, passed out mid-sentence or even threw up on the bar. Some of them --usually the weirdest ones-- he remembered clearly. Others, just went on to become part of his routine.

He remembered all the stories.

Not names. Never names.

The girl was different; Aegnor could tell she would be a memorable one from the moment she walked through the door. She wore a short pink dress with a torn tutu in the same colour --like those teenagers would wear at their prom nights that never stayed intact until the next morning--, mascara rivers running down her cheeks, the braid that tied her hair behind her head ruined, and no shoes. Not the high-heels-in-her-hands-swaying-in-the-wind kind of no shoes, but rather the I-just-walked-a-couple-of-blocks-without-my-shoes-on kind.

She swayed a little as she walked, the effort of putting one foot in front of the other taking more concentration than it should have, but she managed to make the journey from the door to the bar safely. She dropped down in a chair right in front of him, and blinked rapidly a couple times, and then a few more for good measure.

Once she made sure that she wasn’t hallucinating and there was indeed a tall, blond fella in front of her, she opened her mouth to ask for something, but then she frowned --as if forgetting what she wanted to ask for-- and closed it. And then opened it again.

“A chocolate volcano,” she ordered, like another man would order a shot of whiskey; straight-faced and confident.

“Excuse me?” Aegnor asked, trying not to sound offending.

“I want a chocolate volcano,” the girl said again. Her voice was slurred as she talked; another sign that she was clearly already drunk. Frankly, Aegnor had no idea what a chocolate volcano was, but he was too scared to ask. 

Even as a mess, the girl was beautiful. Her hair was tangled helplessly, a golden-brown halo around her face, and her eyes --a shade or two darker than her hair-- were glaring holes into his head. The dried mascara staining her features only intensified her glare.

Aegnor decided to mix her a normal volcano cocktail and pray that she didn’t notice the difference --heaven knows if there was one. Unlike the majority of drunk customers that sat on the stool in front of him, the girl didn’t seem inclined to pour him her sorrows, neither before the drink nor after.

It was what sparked Aegnor’s interest.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” he said after a while. “What’s your name?”

The girl scowled at him, somehow making it look as if she hadn’t been glaring daggers at everything for the past fifteen minutes.

“Why do you care?”

Aegnor shrugged, trying hard not to fidget under her stare.  _ Valar, was she intimidating… _

“Well, I’m assuming --do correct me if I’m wrong-- that you don’t have to anything to pay for the drink, and I’m debating on charging it on me,” he said, which was true. It became apparent to him a while ago, that she had no purse and no pockets. So unless she was hiding cash on her underwear --he would  _ not _ accept that-- she didn’t have any on her.

The girl sighed; some of the angry lines on her face eased. “Andreth. Andreth Saelind.”

“Aegnor Finwion,” the man extended a hand for her to shake. She looked curiously at it, but in the end shook it.

“I should clarify that if you’re waiting for a sob story, it won’t come,” her speech was surprisingly coherent for someone as wasted as she appeared to be; she had half her face scrunched up in concentration.

“I figured,” he chuckled, and left her alone for a bit to serve another man who had just walked in. The bar was fairly empty for a Tuesday night in the start of September; fairly empty for the last week before the opening of the education facilities. Aegnor was not ready to go back to college.

When he returned at Andreth’s spot, he found the brunette passed out on the counter, her forehead resting on her crossed arms. He debated waking her up to ask if she had any relatives that could pick her up --abandoning a drunk, passed out girl all alone in a bar full of men was not a good idea-- but he knew from experience that it wouldn’t do any good, even if he  _ did _ manage to wake her up. And if she didn’t have a purse, it was unlikely that would have any other personal objects on her. Like a phone. Or an ID.

Aegnor turned around to glance at his cousin who was working with him; both of them had landed the job as a summer one, intending to use the hard-earned money on different things. Aegnor wanted a new apartment. Argon wanted a motorcycle.

His cousin was merrily chatting up a man, nodding at all his stops as the man poured out his heart; love troubles, guessing from his face. Another time, Aegnor would have bet five dollars that the man had been cheated on.

But as it was, another guy from the far corner was eyeing up Andreth’s unconscious body still sitting on the stool, and yeah, no, that wasn’t happening.

Aegnor ditched his work apron in a pile under the counter --someone would need it, no doubt-- and tapped Argon’s shoulder to get his attention. He pointed towards the door, and Argon nodded, not once losing his attention at the man in front of him. He gave him a military salute just as he turned away, and Aegnor had to snort at Argon’s gesture.

He picked up Andreth bridal style and walked out of the bar, careful not to hit her limbs on anything. He would have to remember to ask his boss to charge the drink on his pay tomorrow.

Walking with an unconscious girl in his arms got him more than a few weird looks, even if the streets at 2 am were mostly deserted. Thank  _ Eru _ he didn’t have to take the bus; he sent a mental thanks to Maedhros for lending him his car this week --that man was a lifesaver.

The drive to his and Finrod’s apartment was relatively short, and for the hundredth time, Aegnor had no idea where his brother might be. The answers varied; a bar, Bëor’s, Amarië’s, picking up one of his wasted friends yet  _ again, _ the list went on and on.

Unlocking the apartment door while carrying Andreth in his arms was harder than climbing the stairs with the same weight; he wouldn’t be caught dead on that elevator. Elevators were evil.

“Finrod?” he called at the empty house, testing his luck. Something made a clunking noise from the kitchen; oh good, Finrod was home.

As if on cue, Aegnor’s brother walked into the living room. He was a sight to behold; a messy ponytail, a pair of wrinkled cargo pants and a white tee, a wine glass half-filled with red liquid. So it was television night tonight.

“Aegnor, what the fuck,” he inquired, polite as always. “Do I even want to know?”

“No?” Aegnor shrugged innocently. “Just help me lay her down somewhere.”

Finrod did so, leading the way to Aegnor’s own bedroom, “You brought her here, she’s taking your bed.”

Aegnor knew better than to argue. He laid Andreth down at the bed gently, brushing strands of hair out of her face. She probably wouldn’t wake up if he attempted to take her braid out, but Aegnor didn’t want to risk it. Her face was peaceful as an angel in sleep, but the memory of that burning glare was still too near.

Finrod returned from the kitchen with a glass of water and a packet of advil --huh, he had left the room, look at that-- and set them down at the nightstand, glaring at Aegnor’s retreat from the room. The latter shut the door behind him carefully.

“Look, she showed up at the bar like this and then passed out on me, I swear,” he said, predicting his brother’s question. “I couldn’t just leave her there, Ingo, it’s not exactly a safe environment.”

Finrod sighed, his acknowledgement of the truth in Aegnor’s statement, “Fine, but if she freaks out in the morning and kill us, I blame it on you.”

“I take full responsibility,” Aegnor nodded, feeling like a child again under Finrod’s resigned stare. It must be an older brother thing, Valar knew it was Maedhros’ best talent.

* * *

Aegnor found Andreth in the kitchen the following morning, looking wildly around with a knife in her hand.  It would have been a ridiculous sight; a girl in a torn pink tutu dress and smudged makeup carrying a knife, if Andreth didn’t look absolutely terrifying doing exactly that.

She turned around when she hear him approach, holding out the knife towards him with both hands. Aegnor raised his in the air in the universal gesture of surrender.

“I’m Aegnor Finwion, the bartender from yesterday, nice to see you sober this time,” he said.

Andreth frowned, trying to bring forth her memories of the previous night, and then lowered the knife slowly.

“What am I doing here?” she demanded.

“I brought you here because the alternative was the creepy guy in the bar eyeing your unconscious body,” Aegnor replied.

Andreth set the knife back at the table. “Thanks for that, I guess.”

“You’re welcome,” Aegnor acknowledged her gratitude with a nod. “Do you want coffee?”

“ _ Please, _ I’ve been trying to figure out how this coffee pot works for ten minutes,” Andreth agreed, making herself comfortable.

“It’s unique and it needs a good kick to start going,” Finrod said from the doorway. 

“Changing is what it needs,” Aegnor muttered.

“I would like to see you find the money to buy me a new one, Aika,” Finrod rolled his eyes at him, and then addressing Andreth said, “Hi, strange girl my brother brought home, I’m Finrod.”

“My name is Andreth,” Andreth said, and she even smiled at him; damn Finrod and his ability to make everyone like him immediately. “I figured you were Aegnor’s brother, you’re both blond and shiny.”

Both brothers laughed at that.

“I like her,” Finrod said, sending Aegnor a wink that Andreth couldn’t see. The younger brother flushed, and almost dropped the coffee mug he offered her. Thankfully, Andreth grabbed it from his hand before any real damage could be made.

“Thanks,” she told him, “but I have to go.”

Aegnor tried not to let him disappointment show; it wasn’t like he had expected Andreth to stay, even if he couldn’t deny that a big part of him had wanted her to. Judging by the way Finrod pushed him towards Andreth’s retreating back, his disappointment had shown more than he wanted it to.

“At least let Aegnor drive you back,” Finrod said, like it wasn’t a big deal. “You can’t really walk around like this. Not that you look bad, I meant no offence-”

Andreth looked down at herself, “No, you’re right,” she said, as if noticing her state for the first time. “You said you could drive me?”

The question was directed towards Aegnor, and embarrassed smile and pleading eyes were a big change from the glares he had been receiving so far. Her eyes looked brighter, a mix between chocolate brown and golden; although the gold could be from the sun illuminating in them.

“Yes, of course,” Aegnor managed to smile despite the way his heart leaped.

“Lead the way,” Andreth flashed him a blinding smile and got out of the apartment. Aegnor was so distracted looking at her that he completely missed the wink Finrod sent him. Not that it mattered as Andreth turned to smile at him over her shoulder again.


End file.
